• D A Breems, P W de Haas, F Visscher, L J Sabbe, H F Busch, and P A van Doorn.
• Erasmus Universiteit, Faculteit der Geneeskunde en Gezondheidswetenschappen, Rotterdam.
• Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 1993 Sep 25; 137 (39): 1979-82.

AbstractDermatomyositis is an acquired disease characterised by symmetric predominantly proximal muscle weakness of the arms and legs, and misery. It may be associated with myalgia and there is often a characteristic rash. The mainstay of therapy is corticosteroids. Recently efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in chronic refractory dermatomyositis was reported. Because corticosteroids can cause serious side effects, we treated a seven-year-old girl suffering from dermatomyositis with IVIg as initial therapy. After two courses of IVIg infusions at a dose of 0.4 g/kg/day for five consecutive days, the patient made a rapid and complete recovery. This case shows that IVIg may be effective as initial therapy in patients with dermatomyositis. Whether IVIg is really a better treatment than corticosteroids should be investigated in a randomised study.

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